Overview & Reviews

Lexus has earned a well-deserved reputation for turning out utterly refined luxury vehicles. The hallmarks of this brand are a quiet, well-crafted cabin, a plush ride and commendable performance from powerful, nearly silent engines.

Lexus began out of a desire by parent company Toyota to create a world-class luxury car brand. Groundwork for Lexus was laid in the mid-1980s, when the company began tapping U.S. focus groups in an attempt to define design concepts best suited for American consumers. Hundreds of prototypes were built and tested on Germany's autobahn and on U.S. roads.

In early 1989, the company unveiled its first two models (which would debut for the 1990 model year) -- the entry-level ES 250 sedan and the flagship LS 400 sedan. The LS 400 was lauded by both journalists and consumers alike for offering a stellar luxury-car experience, with a remarkably silent cabin, superb build quality and a refined V8 engine. At the same time, the LS was priced considerably lower than smaller, lesser-equipped, six-cylinder European rival luxury sedans.

By the early 1990s, the Lexus brand was expanded to other markets, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. More models were added to the lineup, including the SC 300 and SC 400 coupes and the brand's first luxury performance sedan, the GS 300. By decade's end, the company had added SUVs (in the form of the LX 450/LX 470 and RX 300) and had sold more than a million vehicles in the U.S.

The first decade of the 2000s saw Lexus proving itself a trend setter with the launch of many hybrid-powered versions of its vehicles such as the RX 400h and the GS 450h. And by 2011, Lexus even introduced a world-class supercar, the LFA.

In the years since its inception, the Lexus brand has distinguished itself time and again in quality and reliability surveys. The brand's vehicles may not offer as much passion as some Teutonic rivals, but for drivers interested in vehicles that emphasize quality, dependability and comfort, the Lexus marque is hard to beat.

User Reviews:

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  GAS MILEAGE - 2014 Lexus RX 450h
  By acamp2 - April 30 - 10:27 pm

  I see people here having concerns about gas mileage in the RXh and feel I might have some advice. I am on my second hybrid SUV from Lexus and also owned an LS. The first thing lots of people do no seem to realize is that in order to extend your gas mileage in any car, including hybrids, YOU HAVE TO KEEP THAT HEAVY FOOT OFF THE ACELERATOR! Driving faster than a maximum of 65 will diminish your mileage, also driving in hilly terrain, fast take-offs, your AC usage, incorrect tire pressure, and otherwise rough handling. In addition, you have to go into the RXs information setting and reset the gas mileage monitor (usually after a fill up), to see the true mileage. Hope this helps.

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  Lexus 470 GX - 2003 Lexus GX 470
  By Chris Reese - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Very smooth and quiet ride for an SUV. Perhaps the most sylish SUV on the road to date. Audio system is superb in this vehicle. Navigation system is very helpful especially in unfamiliar urban setteings.

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  Awesome car for the price... - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By LXS - April 29 - 10:00 am

  The car handles extremly well. I opted for 16" tires since I live in an area that gets snow anually. The ride on 16"s is very nice, 17" tires may give you a slightly bumpier ride but the car will really stick to the ground. It is a very quick car. About 7 seconds 0 to 60. I hate SUVs and many SUV drivers have tried to race me but they have all failed everytime. The car is even fast from 0 to 80. The car continues to excellerate fast at 50 and 60 mph. This is a great car for passing those annoying SUVs and Vans on the highways. The interior is awesome. The airconditioner is very cold and does not take away any power from the engine.

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  Daily annoyances - 2000 Lexus RX 300
  By LuvMyAcura - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Whats up with the turning radius? I moved down from a larger SUV hoping to avoid the parking spot tango, only to be stuck with it for another 3 years! I also expected better gas mileage, particularly since it had little to no pickup. The factory cut my carpet too small; Nakamichi audio system sometimes didnt work; piece of trim on the back door continuously popped off; $600 ozone filter replacement at 30,000 miles; parking brake light comes on at 36,000 miles, leading you to believe youre driving with your parking brake on. No, just reminding you to check your brakes! Overall, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the quality of this vehicle.

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  5th owner and never would have known - 2004 Lexus ES 330
  By skrypko - April 28 - 10:46 am

  Bought the ES330 with 70k miles in November 2015. its been 2 years since I owned it now. February of 2017 I was hit my a Semi and the car did great without going off the road and stopping in time. Insurance did not total it out. and I am glad!! I have not had any issues with the car but 1. the plastic that connects to the coil has cracked and the car was running on 5 cylinders. I went to a local junk yard and got the part for $2.00 and it took me about 10 minutes to do everything. car has now 106,500 miles. ride is super quite. when you need to go around a person it picks up speed fast! need to watch the speedometer as you do not feel the speed. I bought a 2006 MB E350 with 48k miles and the ride was worse then the ES330 quality and maintenances cost. I owned 23 cars in the past 5 years and I am sticking with Lexus. I hope the newer once are as well built as this one.

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  BEST CAR EVER! - 2001 Lexus IS 300
  By jbneurotech - April 27 - 9:34 pm

  Purchased the car with 19,000 miles in 2002 i commute over 100 miles a day to work and back and the car now has 243000 miles on it and has never given me any problems all i have done has chaged the oil and filters still has original timing belt and plugs have them checked often and mechanic states they still look fine this inline six motor is unstoppable my wife drives an 07 is250 and it has been in for repair atleast 5 times and only has 70000 miles the V6 motor in the 250 is no comparison to the inline 6 in the 300, also my car doesnt use one drop of oil and still has the same torquey power as the day i bought i would by another in a heartbeat this is truly a rare gem.

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  2005 ES 330 - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Rich - April 26 - 12:50 pm

  The ES is a pleasure to drive and one of the quietest cars I have ever been in. It offers a great ride with nice power. Controls are logically laid out for easy operation while driving. My 3 points of criticism are: 1) Terrible cup holders 2) Transmission hesitates when accelerating from a slow roll is a very poor design on this model 3) Front seat should be longer to reach closer to your knee for improved comfort and better support "under leg".

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  Lexus - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By jd - April 25 - 3:23 am

  I have had the 460 for about two weeks, and I wish I had more time to drive the car. Currently 721 miles. Great performance, exceptional sound system w/XM, and a very easy to use and intuitive navi system make this a luxurious and athletic performance sedan. The final straw for me at 64" with two boys at 63" plus was comfort and space for all!

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  Love My Lexus - 2008 Lexus GX 470
  By Renee999 - April 24 - 2:26 pm

  This is my first Lexus and I love it. I traded in my BMW 530 because I now have 5 grandchildren and I needed more room. I looked at the Volvo X90 and the 3rd row seat was not very accessible, Sequoia and Tahoe are too big. This LX 470 is just right. The third row seats are very easy to fold up and down. The ride is very smooth and luxurious. The bluetooth and navigation system are easy to use. I am very happy I bought this car.

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  One of the Best RWD Car you can get - 2005 Lexus IS 300
  By Testing123 - April 23 - 3:43 pm

  The styling of the car is very agressive and sporty. For a 3255lbs vehicle the car perform very well. The engine was build for import tune spec and respond very well to performance modification. I wish Lexus would have use a more agressive cam from supra engine to move the stock rear wheel horse power up to 188whp. My IS300 AKA Altezza has gone through couple of performace Mod, like a stage1 turbo kit from inovative turbo and fujitsubo high flow exhaust, which boost the WHP to 323whp. The stock clucth will take this mod without any problem. This is one of the best vehicle ever build and it will surely out performed a BMW series 3 with a small modification to the intake and exhaust system.